Anyone who was watching noticed that the animation for smelting simply reused the weapon animation, even when it was the weapon in question being smelted.

Time passes, and the group heads to where they were told by the players they had met before. There are two distinct groups there. Leply and Rollen are there, with two other players. There is also a larger team, seven in total.

Rollen waves the mains over. "Made it after all, huh? This is quite the group. The first time players, and THEM as well?" He motions to the third team. "Definitely Lucky, you don't see this every day."

Rollen winces at Karie's abrasiveness. "Well, that should get their attention and yep here she comes."

One of the third party has broken off from their tight knit circle and walks towards the group. Rollen's other two acquaintances, a white robed girl wearing a witches hat, and a large warrior in blue carrying a massive wooden polearm, also turn away as the pink haired woman approaches.

Her name marked as Samu, she is decked out similarly to Rollen himself, in light armor, and is already holding a dagger in her hand. She walks right up to Karie, and stares at her for a moment, not speaking. Then, she cracks a smile. "What a brave young one you are, joining us on this quest. That fire will certainly help keep the lands safe."

Leply whispers to the others near her as the strange woman begins to speech. "Yeah, when one of the highest level groups in the region is a RPer team, it sorta drives the serious ones mad. I don't get how they do it but some people claim they must be level 5 at minimum. Well, the dungeon scales, so don't worry, everyone will get the right challenge level.. Pistol there just drew the attention of Samu, Assassin type. Friendliest girl to claim a 'dark and troubled' past you're likely to see."

The annoyance in her voice is clear, but Leply shakes it off. "Well, I might as well introduce you to the others on my team. This here is Lybi, she's the only Earth/Nature healer I've met yet. Very solid." The witch hat wearing girl smiles slgithy, but pulls the brim closer over her eyes. "And our tank, Cytak." The heavily armed warrior shifts his weapon again, and raises a hand in friendly greeting, without moving from standing next to the witch.

In the meantime, Karie has been all but dragged to the circle. Samu has happily drawn her to her team, who stand and watch.

"You must meet my teammates-in-arms."

"Another new friend, Samu? I thought you always claimed that you had a hard time because people don't trust your 'innate nature'." A blond girl scoffs. Her plate mail is well polished, and at her side a bright sword. She sits apart from the others, and enters the conversation without standing

"Oh, Turia. You're so strict." The leather wearing woman responds. "That's how I was before I met all of you."

A lithe warrior carrying a red spear shakes his head. His dark hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail, and his "Don't take it so hard on Turia. She worries about the innocents to save, and I bet she's worried you aren't focused." He extends a hand to Karie. "Hi, kid. I'm Koolan, former knight of these lands, now working with this group for honor."

A laugh from behind him, and Koolan turns to glare at a man with dual swords much like Karie's own strapped to his back. His armor is also a bright red, if light, and his hair a bluish silver. "You mean for coin, don't you?"

"Don't you start with me again, Emirc!" The two glare at each other silently, Koolan holding his spear at bay and Emirc reaching for one of his swords.

A massive mountain of a figure stands up, dwarfing even Teresias' size. Shaggy long black hair cascades down bare shoulders and a simple chain vest. His voice is a rumble, but friendly. "You're going to either scare this poor girl like the rest, or make her mad, you know."

The other two, a blue haired warrior in samurai garb, and a woman in thick purple robes stand up. "Raserke has a point." The woman says, quietly, while the unarmored swordsman calmly pushes the two fuming men apart. "I'm Dema, mage in training, and the peacemaker over there is my retainer, Jikosa. I agree with our scout, though. I like your fire, girl. Are you ready to join the fight?"

Karie balks at first as she is dragged in to the circle of role players, though a phrase from Leply echoes in her mind as the crew introduces themselves.

...one of the highest level groups in the region...

...one of the highest level groups...

...highest level...

She blinks a bit, overwhelmed from the introductions and considers her options.

Okay... so they're all a bunch of irritating RPers... but they're high level... and they don't have...

that...

person......

A mad grin crosses her face.

CHANCE.

She begins to chuckle, seemingly at the groups antics.

I can't believe I'm about to do this I can't believe I'm about to do this I can't believe I'm about to do this

Putting her fingertips to her cheek, she begins speaking.

"Aha! I see! I see! Very good, it seems I have misjudged you all! Clearly you are not just the ordinary chattel one finds in this land. Not like those buffoons anyway," she says with an indication to her group. "I very much look forward to working with you on this quest. May I ask, does your company have need for a blademaster?"

As she finishes speaking, she turns her head sideways directly at Kai and throws a wicked grin his way.

Brand holds a hand up and gives a friendly wave, then offers a handshake to anyone who's up for it. "Brand - a pleasure to meet you all. I have been blessed with Light and Power to defeat the forces of evil. With your assistance, am certain we shall defeat all who seek to harm the innocent." A little smile crosses his face as he says it - roleplaying is fun!

Cytak responds first, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, pal. I'd love to have straightforward firepower like yours on my side, you know." For some reason, the witch girl elbows him in the side at that statement. Rollen chokes back a sound that might be a laugh.

Samu's eyes light up, and she grabs Karie's hands in hers, looking directly in her face. "I knew you were a tough one! Oh, but we already have so many swords..... Emirc?"

"No. Sorry, kid. We've got a good team already here. Yours looks pretty sharp too, you know?" He acknowledges MAya's greeting with a nod of the head.

Brand finds his hands shaken by the huge mountain man. "Fist of the light, if I'm not mistaken? I'm a fist of Gaia, myself. I hope we get a chance to test each other."

When Kai ambles up, curiosity leads to being sized up by the blue clad man with the spear. "A tank with a spear? Now that's a rare style of battle if I've ever heard one." Koolan pats Kai on the head. "And such a small one too."

Any further conversation, however, is cut off. A loud system chime goes off.

"Oop! That's the cue, chumps!" Rollan cheerfully announces. A status bar appears in front of each player, with a message.

"You who challenge the darkness of the world, the dungeon awaits. "

Samu mutters to the ones near her. "This is normal, next it will tell us the specifics. Most of these tasks follow a few patterns, a specific task or two and a couple of conditions.

"Now challenge the darkness of Svarthiem. Find the one who freezes the land from beneath.

Rollan blinks. "What? I haven't seen that enemy condition before on the boards. Is this an undiscovered one?"

Leply shrugs. "We have a large team, it shouldn't be too hard, just stick to what we know, and work together."

"The magic divides and combines you. Discover what is new, and what you never tried.

Both teams freeze, and noone speaks for a moment. Finally, Lybi looks up, blue eyes glittering from under the floppy hat. "Aw sh-"

And the world goes white.

---Now Loading-----Now Shuffling----

---Karie, Clarence, and Teriesias--

When sight is restored, the location has changed. There is very little light except for a torch on the wall, illuminating the ledge they are on, overlooking a vast and open cavern. The sound of water can be heard, and flecks of phosphorescence are visible floating and darting about, near and far.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Rollen's voice echoes from behind. He walks forward between the three, and behind him can be seen both the woman with the shining sword, Turia, and the giant craggy Raserke.

Turia looks annoyed. "So did it really do what i think it did?"

The large man rumbles back. "Yeah." Noticing the newer players, he turns and continues. "These dungeons are enchanted, to cast an effect on any quest that would enter them. We got a very troublesome one. The Shuffling curse, as warned, takes the teams that have arrived, and splits them up...."

---Kai, Brand, and Maya--

"...mixing them together with the other teams to make randomized groups." Cytak finishes the explanation.

The frozen locale they find themselves in would be striking if it wasn't so unsettling. A spout of ice shoots into the air, unmoving, as if a geyser stopped in a single instant.

Lybi looks over at Emirc. "Anyone else here?"

"No. Well, we were probably split into 3 teams. Shuffling effects are supposed to equalize to the number of parties that came. We'll each have a specific task to perform, and the better we do, the better things will go in the final encounter." He finishes his explanation to the new players. "You guys certainly came into a big mess. Well, I hope you're prepared for it."

A message flashes in front of them. Find the source of the frozen river. Return it to normal to cut off the Ice One's strength.

Cytak glances around, then points. "That opening seems to be the right way. Ok, so let's get going."

A rumble is heard nearby. "Err, carefully, perhaps?"

A thud is heard. "Or not," Lybi looks back. "sounds like a big one. Think we need to take it down? It might just be a resource sink to exhaust us, after all.."

---Team A---

Search for the lost Light of the Deep. Protect it from IT's deprecations.

"Hmmmmmm." Turia muses to herself. "Well, the only way to go is down, into that cave. Looks like there's a narrow path over there. So should we-"

A snarl is heard behind them. Raserke winces. "Do we move or do we face it?"

"I say we face it." votes Clarence, the ends of his staff lighting up with flames. "I've just gained a level, so I've got a few new tricks I want to try, and on a narrow ledge ike this, there's not much dodging it can do. Karie, if you step to the front, I can give you a speed enhancement, and - um -" Clarence looks up at the bulk of Raserke - "Big Guy, if you stand behind her, you can probably punch whatever it is over her head; then the rest of us concentrate on ranged attacks."

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